List of railway electrification systems
This a list of the voltages, etc. that are used or have been used for tramway and railway electrification systems.
Note the voltages are nominal, and vary up and down depending on load and distance from the substation.
Key to the tables below
- Volts: voltage
- Current:
- DC = direct current
- xx Hz = frequency in hertz (alternating current (AC))
- AC supplies are single-phase, except where marked three-phase
- Conductors:
- overhead lines or
- Electrified "conductor" rails, usually a third rail to one side of the running rails
- Conductor rails can be:
- top contact - oldest - least safe - affected by ice, snow and leaves
- side contact - newer - safer - much less affected by ice, snow and leaves
- bottom contact - newer - safer - much less affected by ice, snow and leaves
- Conductor rails can be:
Systems using Standard Voltages
There are a number of voltages that are used in many different countries, and these have been designated as international standards. These are defined by two standards; BS EN 50163 and IEC 60850
600 V, DC - Overhead Line Systems
This voltage is used by older tram systems worldwide.
Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Australia | Melbourne | ||
Canada | Toronto | ||
Finland | Helsinki | ||
Estonia | Tallinn | ||
Japan | Most tram lines | ||
Chōshi Electric Railway | Chōshi, Chiba | ||
Eizan Electric Railway | Kyoto, Kyoto | ||
Enoshima Electric Railway | Kanagawa | ||
Iyotetsu Takahama Line | Matsuyama, Ehime | ||
Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line and Meijō Line | Nagoya, Aichi | ||
Shizuoka Railway | Shizuoka, Shizuoka | ||
Tōkyū Setagaya Line | Tokyo | ||
Wakayama Electric Railroad | Wakayama | ||
Slovakia | Trencianske Teplice | Narrow gauge line | |
United States | Boston, San Diego |
600 V, DC - Conductor Rail Systems
All third rail unless stated otherwise.
Used by most older US subways.
Type | Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | Toronto Subway and Rapid Transit | Toronto | ||
Japan | Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line | Tokyo | ||
Sweden | Stockholm Metro | Stockholm | Has 650 V. | |
United Kingdom | Glasgow Subway | Glasgow | ||
London | Was used for trams in central London - third rail accessed via a slot between the tracks; | |||
Southern Railway | Some areas up to 1939. | |||
United States | New York City Subway | New York City | ||
Top Contact | Chicago Transit Authority | Chicago | Elevated and subway lines | |
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Boston | Red Line and Orange Line subways, as well as part of the Blue Line subway | ||
PATH | New York City metro area | |||
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | Philadelphia | Market-Frankford subway/elevated and Broad Street subway |
750 V, DC - Overhead Line Systems
This voltage is used for most modern tram systems.
Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Argentina | Buenos Aires Tramway (Premetro) | Buenos Aires | |
Australia | Sydney Light Rail | Sydney | |
Austria | Local lines of Stern & Hafferl | Also listed as having 1500 and 600 V lines | |
Germany | Albtalbahn | Rhein-Haardtbahn | Railway of the Upper Rhine |
Japan | Enshū Railway | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | |
Hakone Tozan Railway Line | Hakone, Kanagawa | The section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gōra. | |
Iyotetsu Yokogawara Line and Gunchū Line | Ehime | ||
Kintetsu Utsube Line, Hachiōji Line | Yokkaichi, Mie | ||
Sangi Railway Hokusei Line | Mie | ||
Norway | Oslo T-bane | Oslo | Only the one line, Holmenkollbanen |
Turkey | Eskişehir Tramway System | ||
United Kingdom | Manchester Metrolink | Manchester | |
Sheffield Supertram | Sheffield | ||
Midland Metro | Birmingham to Wolverhampton | ||
United States | Minneapolis/Saint Paul | Minnesota Metropolitan Transit light rail | |
Denver, Colorado | Light Rail part of the Denver Regional Transportation District [RTD] | ||
TRAX Light Rail | Salt Lake City UTA |
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |
750 V, DC - Conductor Rail Systems
All third rail unless stated otherwise.
1500 V, DC, Overhead
3000 V, DC, Overhead
Country | Name of System | Location | Note |
---|---|---|---|
Belgium | Belgium National Railways (SNCB) | 25 kV AC used on new High Speed Lines. | |
Brazil | |||
Chile | |||
Czech Republic | Czech Railways (ČD) | ||
India | Kolkata | converted to 25 kV AC | |
Italy | RFI - Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Italian Railways Network) | 25 kV AC used on new High Speed Lines. | |
North Korea | |||
Poland | Polish State Railways (PKP) | ||
Slovakia | Slovak Republic Railways (ZSR) | northern, eastern lines, and the broad gauge line between Kosice and the UA border | |
Slovenia | Slovenian Railways (SZ) | 25 kV AC also used | |
South Africa | |||
former Soviet Union | |||
Spain | Spanish National Railways (RENFE) | 25 kV AC used on new High Speed Lines. |
15000 V, 16⅔ Hz, Overhead
Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Austria | ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen Austrian Federal Railways) |
National Standard | |
Germany | German National Railways | National Standard | |
Norway | Jernbaneverket Norwegian State Railways |
||
Sweden | SJ AB - Swedish State Railways | ||
Switzerland | SBB-CFF-FFS - Swiss Federal Railways |
25000 V, 50 Hz, Overhead
Conductor Rail Systems (Non-Standard Voltages)
Voltage | Current | Type | Contact System | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | DC | See notes. | Volk's Electric Railway | Brighton | United Kingdom | Volk's Railway prior to 1884. (Current fed through running rails) | |
110 | DC | 3rd Rail | Top Contact | Volk's Electric Railway | Brighton | United Kingdom | The world's oldest operational electric railway[1] |
160 | DC | 3rd Rail | Top Contact | Volk's Electric Railway | Brighton | United Kingdom | Volk's Railway between 1884 and 1980's |
180 | DC | See notes. | Siemens streetcar | Berlin-Lichterfelde | Germany | Current fed through the running rails! Operated between 1881-1891. | |
440 | DC | 3rd Rail | Top Contact | Post Office Railway | London | UK | Disused since 2003 [1]. 150 V is used in station areas to limit train speed. |
550 | DC | 3rd Rail | Top Contact | Buenos Aires Metro (Subterráneos de Buenos Aires) | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Only Line B |
660 | DC | 3rd Rail | Top Contact | Southern Railway & LSWR | UK | Original standard, mostly upgraded to 750 V | |
660 | DC | third-rail with fourth rail bonded to running rail | Euston to Watford DC Line | London | UK | Compromise solution to enable London Underground trains to operate between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone). Similar bonding arrangements are used on the North London Line between Richmond and Gunnersbury and South West Trains Putney Bridge to Wimbledon. | |
700 | DC | 3rd Rail | Bottom Contact | Metro-North Railroad | New York | USA | Hudson & Harlem lines, southern part of New Haven line |
800 | DC | 3rd Rail | Berlin S-Bahn | Berlin | Germany | ||
825 | AC | 3rd Rail | Moscow Metro | Moscow | Russia | ||
Pyongyang Metro | Pyongyang | North Korea | |||||
850 | DC | 3rd Rail | Vienna | Austria | |||
Southern Railway | United Kingdom | Original route of Eurostar, pre-High Speed 1, upgraded from 750 V | |||||
1000 | DC | 3rd Rail | Bay Area Rapid Transit | San Francisco | USA | ||
1200 | DC | 3rd Rail | Side Contact | Manchester-Bury | Manchester | UK | System abandonned in 1991 |
Hamburg S-Bahn | Hamburg | Germany | |||||
1500 | DC | 3rd Rail | Top Contact | Guangzhou Metro (Line 3) | Guangzhou Metro | China |
Overhead Line Systems (Non-Standard Voltages)
Voltage | Current | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
250 | DC | Chicago Tunnel Company | Chicago | USA | Operated between 1906-1959 |
500 | DC | Many tram systems | |||
525 | DC | Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren | Lauterbrunnen | Switzerland | |
550 | DC | Snaefell Mountain Railway | Isle of Man | UK | |
900 | DC | Gruyere - Fribourg - Morat | Fribourg | Switzerland | |
Montreux-Oberland Bernois | Montreux | Switzerland | |||
1000 | DC | Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg (SZU) | Zürich | Switzerland | |
Rhätische Bahn (RhB) | St Moritz - Tirano | Switzerland | |||
1100 | DC | Buenos Aires Metro (Subterráneos de Buenos Aires) | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Only Line A (will be converted to 1500V DC by 2008/09) |
1200 | DC | Barcelona Metro | Barcelona | Spain | Uses an overhead conductor rail/beam system. |
Sóller Railway | Palma - Sóller, Majorca | Spain | Website | ||
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Cuba | Havana - Santiago | Cuba | |||
Lusatian | Germany | 900 mm gauge mining railways in the brown coal district | |||
Estonia | (Elektriraudtee) 1924-1941 and 1946-1958 | ||||
1350 | DC | FART | Domodossola-Locarno | Italy - Switzerland | |
2400 | DC | Lausitzer | Germany | Work line of the Lausitzer Brown Coal AG company. | |
Chemin de fer de La Mure | Grenoble | France | -1200 V, +1200 V two wire system from 1903-1950. 2400 V since 1950 [2]. | ||
3500 | DC | Bury - Holcombe Brook | Manchester | UK | Operated between 1913-1918. |
6000 | DC | Russia | Experiments in Russia in the late '70'es (3000 V lines) | ||
6000 | 50 Hz | Germany | Factory railway of Rheinbraun AG | ||
6250 | 50 Hz | Great Eastern suburban lines | London | United Kingdom | Great Eastern suburban lines from Liverpool Street London, 1950s to about 1980 (converted to 25 kV) |
6500 | 25 Hz | Mariazellerbahn | Sankt Pölten | Austria | |
6600 | 25 Hz | Thamshavnbanen | Orkdal | Norway | |
10000 | 25 Hz | 'Hofpleinlijn' Local railway | The Hague - Rotterdam | Netherlands | From 1908, in 1926 converted to 1500 DC. In 2006 replaced by a 750 V DC lightrail system |
11000 | 16⅔ Hz | Rhaetian Railway (RhB) | Switzerland | ||
Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB) | Switzerland | Formerly the Furka-Oberalp-Bahn (FOB) and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn | |||
11000 | 25 Hz | Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak | Washington, DC - New York City | United States | |
Keystone Corridor, Amtrak | Harrisburg, PA to Philadelphia, PA | United States | |||
SEPTA | United States | ||||
New Jersey Transit | United States | Not all lines are electrified | |||
12500 | 60 Hz | Metro-North Railroad | New York City to New Haven | United States | Amtrak NEC trains also operate on these tracks |
20000 | 50 Hz | Höllentalbahn | Feibourg | Germany | Operated between 1933-1960. |
Most electrified JR/the third sector lines in Hokkaidō and Tōhoku | JR East, JR Hokkaidō, and others. | Japan | |||
20000 | 60 Hz | Most electrified JR/the third sector lines in Kyūshū | JR Kyūshū and others | Japan | |
25000 | 60 Hz | Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak | United States | New Haven to Boston | |
New Jersey Transit | United States | Newer Lines only; Not all lines are electrified | |||
Tōkaidō-Sanyō Shinkansen | JR Central, JR West | Japan | |||
Deux-Montagnes Line (AMT) | Montreal | Canada | |||
Korail | South Korea | All freight/passenger lines except Seoul subway Line 3 | |||
A'REX | Incheon, Seoul | South Korea | |||
50000 | 50 Hz | Spoornet | Sishen - Saldanha | South Africa | Iron ore line |
50000 | 60 Hz | Black Mesa and Lake Powell | Arizona | USA | Coal line |
Overhead Line Systems (Three-Phase voltages)
Voltage | Current | Contact System | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Three Wire | Tagebau Gruhlwerk | Rack Railway (0.7 km). Operated between 1927-1949 | ||||
725 | 50 Hz, Δ | Two Wire | Gornergratbahn | Zermatt | Switzerland | Website |
750 | 40 Hz, 3Ø | Two Wire | Burgdorf-Thun Bahn | Burgdorf-Thun | Switzerland | Operated from 1899-1933. Converted to 15000 V, 16⅔ Hz in 1933. |
800 | 60 Hz, 3Ø | Corcovado Rack Railway | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | ||
1125 | 50 Hz, 3Ø | Two Wire | Jungfraubahn | Interlaken | Switzerland | Website |
3000 | 15 Hz, 3Ø | Valtellina Elec'n | N. Italy | 1902-1917 | ||
3000 | 50 Hz, 3Ø | Chemin de Fer de la Rhune | France | |||
3600 | 16⅔ Hz, 3Ø | Two Wire | Italy | Operated between 1912-1976 in Upper Italy (more info needed) | ||
3600 | 16.7 Hz, 3Ø | FS | Bologna - Porretta - Firenze | Italy | 1927-1935 | |
5200 | 25 Hz, 3Ø | Almeria-Gergal | Spain | 1911-1966? | ||
10000 | 45 Hz, 3Ø | Two Wire | FS | Roma - Sulmona | Italy | 1929 - 1944 |
50 Hz, 3Ø | Three Wire | Berlin - Lichtenhain | Test Track (1.8 km). Variable voltage and frequency. Trial runs between 1898-1901 | |||
14000 (See notes) |
38 Hz - 48 Hz (See notes) |
Three Wire | Zossen - Marienfelde | Test Track (23.4 km). Trial runs between 1901-1904 Variable voltage between 10000 V and 14000 V and frequency between 38 Hz and 48 Hz. |
Overhead lines and conductor rails of special or unusual type
DC, plough collection from conductors in conduit below track
- London County Council Tramways, later operated by London Transport
DC, no overhead wires, one ground-level conductor
- Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways, England. (stud contact) (1902-1921)
DC, no overhead wires, two ground-level conductors
- Bordeaux Tramway, France. (conductor rail)
DC, two overhead wires
- Greenwich, England. Previously used by trams when in the vicinity of Greenwich Observatory; separate from trolley-bus supply.
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Tram (streetcar) system used this arrangement throughout, probably due to legal constraints on ground return currents.
DC, power direct from rails
- Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway (1881-1893)
- Ungerer Tramway (1886-1895)
- transportable railways as ride for children
DC, two electric rails for current supply
Voltage | Current | Type | Contact System | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DC | Paris Metro | Paris | France | Rubber Tyre lines only | |||
750 | DC | 3rd and 4th Rail | Lateral (positive) and top (negative) contact | Milan Transportation System | Milan | Italy | Metro (only line 1) |
630 | DC | 3rd and 4th Rail | Top Contact | London Underground | London | UK | Transport for London [3] Clive's Underground Line Guides [4] |
See also
References
External links
- http://www.bahnstrom.de/bahnstromsysteme/weltweit_kopf.htm
- Map of European voltage-systems
- Southern Electric, England - details of electrification